Healthy Florida Lawns

 The Southwest Florida Water Management District has some great tips, and instructions, for selecting and applying fertilizer for your lawn. Sometimes Florida yards need fertilizer to help keep them healthy, but applying too much fertilizer, too often or at the wrong time can cause damage to your lawn. The following steps will help you through the process of knowing when, and how much, to fertilize! To learn more, please visit the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Florida-friendly website at http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/yards/fertilizing.

• Know When to Apply Fertilizer 

  It’s important to know the right time to fertilize. Follow these tips before fertilizing:

• Consider the time of year, climate, soil type and, most important, type of grass and health or condition of the lawn before applying fertilizer.
• Fertilize only when the grass is actively growing. For instance, during the winter, grass is dormant in many areas of Florida; therefore, fertilizer is not necessary. Fertilizer applied when grass is not growing wastes your money and time, since it will not be beneficially used by the grass.
• If your lawn has problem areas, find out if this is related to a pest, soil or environmental problem such as excess shade or the uneven distribution of irrigation water. These problems should be corrected and not just masked by fertilization.
• If your household uses reclaimed water, check with your utility to determine if your reclaimed water has nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are also in fertilizer. If so, you may not need to fertilize as much.
• Do not fertilize if rain is predicted in the next 24–36 hours or when a heavy rain, tropical storm, hurricane or flood is predicted

• Determining How Much to Buy  

To avoid storing leftover fertilizer, decide how much you need before you make a purchase. Don’t guess! Measure your property and calculate the total square footage of turfgrass. Do not include landscape plants in the area to be fertilized.

• Selecting Fertilizer

Read the Label

All fertilizer labels have three bold numbers. The first number on the label represents nitrogen, the second number represents phosphorus and the third number represents potassium. These are the three major nutrients your lawn needs to thrive.

In general, select a fertilizer where the first and third numbers on the label are equal or in a 2:1 ratio and the middle number is zero or as low as possible.

Look for a fertilizer where the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus (the first to second number) is a minimum of 4 to 1. For example, a 12-3-10 and a 15-0-15 fertilizer would follow this recommendation.

Choose Slow-Release Fertilizer

Most home lawn fertilizers contain some slow-release nitrogen. It takes longer for your yard to benefit from slow-release nitrogen, but the effects will last longer. Many of these fertilizers provide fertilization for 60 days or longer, depending on environmental conditions. As a result, fewer nutrients may be wasted or lost as pollutants.To find a slow-release fertilizer, look for these terms on the product or fertilizer tag for nitrogen

• Timed-release, slow-release or controlled-release
• Water insoluble nitrogen
• Isobutylidene diurea (IBDU)
• Ureaform (UF)
• Nitroform
• Sulfur-, polymer-, plastic- or resin-coated urea

•  Applying Fertilizer

When applying fertilizer, the most important thing to remember is to read and follow the instructions on the fertilizer bag. Proper application will ensure maximum coverage, resulting in a healthy lawn while protecting water bodies.

Calculate Application Rates

To determine the correct amount of fertilizer per 1,000 square feet, divide 100 by the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. For example, a fertilizer with a 15-0-15 label contains 15% nitrogen, 0% phosphorus and 15% potassium. Divide 100 by 15 to get 6.6; this is the number of pounds of slow-release fertilizer needed to apply one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. This works for any fertilizer product or amount of nitrogen.

• Maintaining a Healthy Lawn

Proper lawn maintenance is vital for the long-term health of your lawn. Appropriate mowing and watering practices must occur so your lawn will have a healthy root system, be more drought-tolerant and be able to resist pests and disease. To ensure your lawns best appearance and health, call the professionals at ProMo Lawn Care.

ProMo Lawn Care is one of the best because we hire the best, make your lawn look its best, and offer the best pricing for professional lawn care in Southwest Florida. Your satisfaction with our lawn care is important. We pride ourselves in providing a quality lawn care that tailors each service to suit your lawn and its individual needs. Contact ProMo Lawn Care for customer service that puts you first.

We are a full service lawn and landscape care company serving Cape Coral, Ft. Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs, Naples and Punta Gorda. We are insured professionals accredited by the BBB, so if you want it done right, call us at 1-800-NEW-LAWN.